In 1998, Brooklyn rappers Mos Def and Talib Kweli came together to form a duo named Black Star, dropping their self-titled album on September 29. Competing with bigger names such as Jay-Z, OutKast and A Tribe Called Quest that day, the album was released to critical acclaim; and 20 years later, is known as a classic hip-hop album. The following year, Mos Def released his anticipated debut, Black on Both Sides; an album that remains such a timeless piece of art to me. With Mos dropping quickly after Black Star's success, making a name for himself with smooth cuts like "Ms. Fat Booty" and head bangers like "Mathematics", where was Talib with his own work???
Well, Talib Kweli also had another duo he contributed to: Reflection Eternal. This time around, he was primarily on vocals while Cincinnati producer Hi-Tek was behind the boards. Talib & Hi-Tek first met back in 1997, and their first appearance together was on a song called "Industry Lies" on Cincinnati group Mood's album Doom, released the same year (Talib also made a few other appearances on that album). A full-length project from the two of them has been teased for a while now, even before Black Star officially managed to get their name out there. One of the duo's first songs, "Fortified Live" was released in '97, with a guest appearance from Mos Def and Mr. Man; being such a highlight on their Rawkus label compilation Soundbombing. Fast forward 3 years later, and a year after Black on Both Sides, the long-awaited effort from Reflection Eternal was finally released.
Train of Thought has been an album I've been wanting to review since I started this blog four years ago, I remember reviewing both Black Star and Black on Both Sides at the start of 2015, but dealing with school and other albums on my mind instead had me leaving this off my review schedule for some time. Anyway, featuring 20 tracks all produced by Hi-Tek, Train of Thought works just like the title suggests, taking us through a journey in Talib Kweli's mind. It serves as a very introspective and reflective body of work from the duo, touching heavily on social and political issues while sprinkling in a couple hard ass tunes to bang ya head to. It's clear to see Talib has a lot of things to say, coming across as a very expressive rapper with his social commentary, and when this meshes together over smooth Hi-Tek production, it's so damn refreshing to hear.
The album starts off with a bang, with the intro "Experience Dedication" featuring a opening skit from comedian Dave Chappelle, as Talib Kweli thank his fans for following the Reflection Eternal journey since '97, while setting the mood for what to expect on the album. "Move Somethin'" is such a great song, Hi-Tek's beat always gets me nodding my head a lot. Talib delivers on both two verses, and the video even complements it pretty well. "The Blast" is definitely the best song on the album for me, and will never get old. Vinia Mojica provides background vocals on the hook, and Hi-Tek's production takes me to another level on that song. Hell, even he provides a verse on the song, and it was pretty good. To make things even better, the video comes through too, with a extra little verse that the album version lacks. "This Means You" has Talib linking up with Mos Def for another dope ass tune, and it doesn't disappoint.
However, by "Memories Live", Train of Thought starts to switch its focus and themes a bit, and this is where Talib Kweli gets a bit more reflective, and also providing more political content and social commentary in the songs. "Memories Live" is definitely a big standout on the album, it's a smooth and relaxing song, where Talib reminisces about his old days growing up in Brooklyn, when he was chasing his aspirations to become a rapper. "Africa Dream" sees Talib reflect on his connection to his ancestors back in Africa, feeling honoured to achieve something that would've been impossible for a black person decades ago. Train of Thought also takes a soulful turn, with one of the standouts "Love Language" being a journey through the different interpretations of love. "Touch You" is another one of the more feel-good songs on the album, and the beat is something real funky, as Talib and Piakhan both provide some solid raps. The outro "Four Women" serves as a re-imagined cover of the Nina Simone classic, and is probably one of the more interesting cuts on the album, compared to some of the other tracks. Here, just like the original song, Talib tells the story of four African women who represent individual African stereotypes in society.
Hi-Tek's production throughout Train of Thought is actually something really solid most of the time. Some of the beats do tend to be a bit boring, but the stronger beats on the album definitely do be hitting HARD! The beat on "Move Somethin'" knocks so hard, and it's so difficult to stop nodding your head to it as soon as it kicks in. And Talib does his thing on that song too. "The Blast" is a classic tune, and the beat is just beautiful to me, both Hi-Tek and Talib complement it pretty well with their verses. "Memories Live" is probably my second favourite beat on the album, something so peaceful and relaxing to my ears, while Talib sounds comfortable over it, reminiscing about the old days. "This Means You" might not be the best collab Mos & Talib have done together, but it still knocks so good; and both rappers do their thing. There are better songs than "Love Language" that share the same concept and focus, but Hi-Tek's beat is pretty smooth and laidback, and Talib kinda sounds pretty good over it, that even bars like "Love ain't nothing but a word / A chicken ain't nothing but a bird" can easily get ignored by listeners like me, ha!
The features on the album came through with some fire contributions, and at some points, even outshine Talib Kweli himself. "Down for the Count" doesn't sequence into Train of Thought pretty well (in my opinion, it could've fit just before "Too Late" and "Memories Live"), but that doesn't mean it doesn't bang. Rah Digga & Xzibit are featured on the track, and they both do their thing, especially Rah. Kool G Rap also comes through on "Ghetto Afterlife", a song which tackles the struggle of street politics in the ghetto, and how community members are looking to bring justice to the streets. Here, Kool G actually outshines Talib so much on this song, particularly with his flow and delivery. "Soul Rebels" is a funky ass song, and has actually grown to be one of my favourites on the album. De La Soul jump on this cut, with Maseo providing a lowkey catchy hook, and they definitely make this song. I really enjoyed Dave's verse a lot out of everybody, his flow was nice and he was sounding the most comfortable over Hi-Tek's beat.
With 20 tracks and a runtime of an hour and 5 minutes, Train of Thought actually works really well as a showcase of Talib Kweli mainly without his buddy Mos Def. The chemistry between the Brooklyn rapper and Hi-Tek delivers majority of the time, and while it's not the classic or the slightly flawless album that Black on Both Sides is to me, the strong moments on here do hit a lot to me, especially the two singles ("Move Somethin'" and "The Blast"), and other highlights like "Memories Live", "This Means You" and "Four Women". Overall, outside of a few boring beats, Train of Thought is a pretty solid album that is full of mainly uplifting vibes, with some real intriguing content and lyrics throughout; plus a very unique sound too, while sprinkling in a few of your average banging tracks that you can nod your head to here and there.
Recommended Tracks: "The Blast", "Memories Live", "Four Women", "Move Somethin'", "This Means You", "Soul Rebels", "Touch You", "Down for the Count", "Africa Dream"
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